The Quiet Girl
by chigaijin
Summary: "Akko looked at Lotte, who was wearing the same shocked expression. Of the three of them, it was /Sucy/ that was in trouble?" Light character study of Sucy M…and a bit of first-season Diana and Ursula as well. Takes place between episodes 11 and 12 of the anime, just before the Samhain Festival planning begins.
1. Akko

It was lunchtime, and Akko was sitting with Lotte and Sucy as usual. Or rather, Akko was slumped over the table, bemoaning the morning's History test, while Lotte tried to comfort her. Sucy, next to Akko, was slowly, methodically flattening out her baked potato with her fork, as taciturn as ever.

"Don't worry, Akko," Lotte tried. "The test is only 5% of our grade. You're doing fine on the homework, right?"

Akko paused in her lamentations. Lotte…had a point. As long as she could stay on top of the readings…

"Yay, I'm _not_ gonna fail!" she cheered suddenly, knocking over her juice. Lotte jerked back, but not fast enough to get her bookbag out of the way. "Oops. Sorry, Lotte."

"It's all right," her roommate answered. She flicked her wand at the bag. _"Sosomme Tidiare!"_

Akko sighed. As nice as Lotte had turned out to be, it still hurt sometimes to see such casual use of magic. If Akko tried it herself, chances are the bag would turn out fine, but the books inside would be sopping wet. She just didn't get—

"Eep!"

Lotte and Sucy both looked up. Wordlessly, Akko pointed to the other end of the dining hall, where Professor Finnelan and Professor Lukić had just entered.

"Uh oh," Sucy said with a dry smile.

Akko felt a sense of panic. "Do you think they found out about the chestnuts?" she whispered to Lotte.

"Or the chocolate?" the other girl answered, her eyes wide behind her glasses.

"Or the _steak?"_ Akko risked a glance. "They're almost here! Act natural!"

The two professors strode up to their table, one on each side. Akko tried to put on a smile. "Professor Finnelan! Professor Lukić! It's so nice to…see you! …Outside of class!" Across the table, Lotte was making frantic faces at her. What was she getting at? "Rest assured I haven't been anywhere _near_ the kitchens—that is—" Her words petered out and she gave an awkward laugh to cover it up.

Both adults seemed like they were in no mood to laugh. Professor Finnelan was looking more serious than usual, if that was even possible. It was a little strange, though—it was like they weren't looking at her—

"Miss Manbavaran?" said Professor Finnelan. "Would you please come with us to Principal Holbrooke's office?"

Akko's fake grin fell off her face. She looked at Lotte, who was wearing the same shocked expression. Of the three of them, it was _Sucy_ that was in trouble?

"Sucy? What did Sucy do?" Akko demanded.

The professors ignored her, looking pointedly at Sucy. The quiet girl set her fork down on her plate and stood up, pausing only to sling her bookbag over her shoulder. The momentary smile from earlier was gone, leaving her usual impassive expression. The two professors followed after her as she began to walk from the room.

"Hey!" Akko cried after them. "What's going on?"

"Miss Kagari," Professor Finnelan said, the stiffness in her tone perfectly clear. "I hope I don't need to remind you to show _proper_ _respect."_

Akko's mouth shut with a snap. She fell back into her chair, exchanging a nervous glance with Lotte, then looked back to the door.

As the group was about to exit, another student detached herself from the wall and joined them. Akko didn't have to strain her eyes to see who it was; only one girl stood out like that.

Diana.


	2. Diana

Diana quietly stepped away from the door to Principal Holbrooke's office. She shouldn't have been listening after they sent her out, she really shouldn't have, but it wasn't like she was planning on _sharing_ any of the information she had just overheard. She just…let her curiosity get the better of her.

She had hardly gone seven steps, however, before she ran smack into Akko. Literally. _Of course,_ she sighed to herself, and opened her mouth to offer a polite apology. But when the other girl realized who she had collided with, her eyes flashed.

"Diana!" she cried, and Diana involuntarily took a step back to avoid her pointing finger. "How could you do that to Sucy!"

"To _Sucy?"_ was all Diana could think to say.

Akko glared at her. "Don't you think the three of us have suffered enough? What if she gets suspended? What if she gets _expelled?"_

"Akko!" Diana took a breath, hoping she could find some way to defuse the situation. "There was no choice. She was growing mushrooms in my medicine."

"Sucy grows her mushrooms everywhere, that doesn't—"

 _"No,_ Akko." She hoped she was managing to keep her voice from rising. "I take that medicine every day. I could have gotten sick. I could have ended up in a coma."

"That's…"

Finally Akko fell silent. Her arm began to droop.

Diana sighed outwardly this time. "It's a matter of safety," she said firmly.

Akko looked up again. "And you don't care what they do to her," she accused.

"She's a hazard to my health!" Diana protested, feeling the situation slipping out of her tenuous grasp. "We're all here to _learn,_ and she's keeping us from being able to do that."

"All she wants is a chance to grow and practice!" Akko insisted.

"Akko," Diana said again, feeling very, _very_ worn. "She tried to kill you on your first day of term."

The shorter girl's eyes went wide, and her arm zipped back to her side. "H-how do you know about that?" she said.

Diana tried to keep herself from blushing. She _should_ have headed back to the library right after she had been dismissed from the principal's office, but when she had heard Professor Finnelan raise her voice she had lingered outside the door. She wasn't going to admit that to _Akko_ of all people, though…

Akko apparently decided that she didn't need an answer, shaking her head vehemently from side to side. "No. That doesn't matter."

"It…doesn't matter?" Diana repeated.

"She didn't mean anything by it," the other girl explained. She didn't sound entirely comfortable with the idea, but her voice was growing firmer again.

"This is what I'm talking about, Akko," Diana said. "She sees something she wants, and she doesn't mind using other people to get it. It's not just a matter of being more careful or polite. She needs to _take other people into account in the first place._ "

"That's…" For a second time Akko fell silent. For all the younger girl was failing her classes, Diana _knew_ she cared about other people. She just couldn't fathom how Akko was friends with Sucy after what the other student had done to her.

"Just why do you _hate_ us so much?"

Diana was shocked. Akko was _shaking,_ her fists clenched, and Diana couldn't see what brought this on.

"I don't hate you, Akko," she said carefully, meeting the shorter girl's gaze. "Where did you get that idea?"

Akko began ticking things off on her fingers. "You're always trying to show us up. You keep getting us into trouble." She paused there, presumably trying to think of more complaints. "You think you're better than us."

"Akko," Diana said again, trying to be firm. "I don't hate you. I know I'm the best in the class—" She stopped as Akko literally _vibrated_ in front of her. "Well, I am. Academically. I'm not going to pretend I don't score as well as I do. But look at it this way: what reason would I have to look down on you?"

"Because I'm not from a witch family," Akko muttered.

"But Sucy and Lotte are," Diana pointed out. "You might not be doing well in class, but that doesn't have anything to do with me." She took a breath. "You even helped me out that one time, with the Pappiliodya."

 _That_ was not a pleasant memory. Only a few weeks into the term, and Diana had nearly made a terrible mistake. It was Akko who had figured out what the cocoons on the Jennifer Memorial Tree were. Akko, who was determined to learn how to use magic to make people happy, despite having seemingly no talent for it. Akko, Akko, Akko.

Diana was spared further conversation by the sound of the door to the principal's office creaking open down the hall. Both she and Akko turned to look as Sucy stepped out slowly, looking as taciturn as ever.

"Sucy!" Akko cried, running over to meet her roommate. Diana looked at the two of them for a moment longer, tugging at her collar uneasily. How _did_ the two of them get along? How could Akko care so much about someone who cared so little about her? About anyone?

But that wasn't her business; right now she had a report to write. She lowered her arm and began to stride quickly towards the library once more. And tried not to think about what Akko had told her.


	3. Ursula

It was almost the new moon, and so Ursula had her lamp on for extra light, its flickering warm glow giving the room a comforting feel. Her grading was done for now, and there were no astronomy classes today. There was just one more task to be accomplished tonight.

She glanced up at the wall and the framed pictures there. Her eyes lingered on the Seven Words of Arcturus, the only connection to her past she could afford to display at Luna Nova.

 _I've been Ursula so long that's how I think of myself,_ she thought, her lips curving up sadly. _And yet suddenly Chariot is back in my life…_

There was a single knock at the door. With a sigh, Ursula stood up, brushing off her robes, then went to open it.

"Come in, please, Miss Manbavaran."

Sucy Manbavaran followed Ursula back into her chambers, taking in the surroundings with an unhurried glance. She hardly showed any reaction to Alcor, and the crow gave her about the same response, raising a sleepy eyelid for only a moment.

Ursula gestured towards the chairs by the desk. "Please, have a seat." She waited for the girl to accept before lowering herself into her own chair. "Don't worry, this isn't some kind of additional punishment for what happened this afternoon." She nudged one of the teacups closer to the first-year student, who took it after a moment's consideration.

Ursula folded her arms. "Miss Manbavaran, I wanted you to know that you can always come to me with any concerns."

"Aren't you Akko's counselor?" the girl asked. "Why me?"

 _You're Akko's roommate,_ Ursula didn't say. "My door is open for any student," she offered instead. It was true, after all, but she had to concede that she might not have been the one to reach out otherwise.

"I understand."

Ursula pursed her lips. "Miss Manbavaran—do you mind if I call you 'Sucy'?"

The girl shrugged. "Sure."

Ursula didn't want to admit it, but these brusque responses were eroding her motivation. Even as a teacher she was an entertainer at heart. She had to have some sense of what her audience was feeling in order to help them—no, in order to be sure she was making progress. Otherwise she'd start second-guessing herself, which was likely to ruin whatever she was trying to do anyway.

"Professor Ursula?"

Ursula started. "Ah! My apologies, Miss—Sucy. I'm afraid I lost my train of thought for a moment."

Sucy said nothing, just tightened her lips slightly. _To be fair, though, I'm not sure what I'd expect anyone to say there._

"Sucy, I asked you here tonight because I wanted to know if you were happy here at Luna Nova."

"'Happy'?" the girl echoed. There was a slight note of surprise in her response. _Finally, a reaction!_

"Yes," Ursula confirmed, keeping her voice upbeat. "A school exists to serve its students, after all."

"Do the other professors know this?"

A surprised laugh escaped Ursula's lips. Her eyes widened, and she clapped her hands to her mouth. The girl across from her chuckled, clearly more amused by the reaction than the joke itself.

"I ought to chastise you for that, but I'm afraid I've given myself away," Ursula admitted, her cheeks tinged with red. "I don't recommend you say that to the rest of the staff, however."

"Of course," said Sucy, as if they were peers and not student and teacher.

"If I may ask," Ursula continued, deliberately sharpening her tone a little, "what made you think it was, well, _acceptable_ to make that comment to me?"

"You're the most lenient professor," the girl explained, as if it were common knowledge. _It probably is…_

Ursula sighed to herself. Even after years as a teacher, it still didn't quite come naturally. She still remembered what it was like to be a student. _Or rather, I still think of myself as more like one of them than one of the faculty…_

"And Akko said we could trust you," Sucy added, her voice just barely above a murmur.

Ursula blinked. "What was that?"

The girl looked like she had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. _Which is funny, because she showed no particular emotion when Professor Finnelan chewed her out for her actions earlier today._ "Akko said you were someone we should trust," she repeated reluctantly. "I believe her."

 _Akko…_

Her thoughts a jumble, Ursula fell back on her role as a teacher. "Thank you, Miss Manbavaran. I certainly hope so."

Sucy's face closed up again, and Ursula worried she had made a misstep. But she had to press on. "You still haven't answered my question. Are you happy at Luna Nova? I know you weren't intending to stay enrolled in the first place."

"How do you know that?" If Ursula had thought Sucy's face had been opaque before, now it was a downright mask.

"Akko told me, a few weeks ago," she explained, gently this time.

Sucy looked to the side. "That's Akko, all right."

Ursula waited a few moments. "Sucy?"

The first-year looked back at her. "I want to stay," she said, and Ursula heard conviction in her voice.

She waited a bit longer, but true to form the girl didn't offer any elaboration. "I'm glad to hear it," Ursula answered finally. "You're already quite talented, and I have no doubt you'll be a splendid witch."

Sucy put on an expression that clearly said _surely you say that to everybody._ Knowing there'd be no way to convince her otherwise— _not that she'd be wrong—_ Ursula just gave the girl a wink.

"Well, Sucy," she said, standing up. The girl stood up as well. "I'll see you in class tomorrow. And please do come to me if you have any concerns here at Luna Nova."

"Thank you, Professor," Sucy said, formally.

After the first-year student had left, Ursula found herself considering the situation. Unlike Akko, Sucy wasn't naturally social, and though she could be studious when a subject piqued her interest, her grades were passable at best. And from what she knew of the girl's background, she hadn't needed to come to Luna Nova to have a successful career.

"But perhaps there's something else she's found here," Ursula said out loud, and smiled.


	4. Sucy

It wasn't too long a walk back from Professor Ursula's rooms, but Sucy still found herself yawning by the time she reached her hallway. Judging from the lack of light peeking out from the other doors, it seemed most of the other students had already gone to sleep for the night.

Lotte turned when Sucy pushed open the door, giving her a tired smile from her spot at the desk. "Everything go okay with Professor Ursula?"

"Yep," Sucy answered.

"That's good." Lotte glanced over to the bunk beds. "Akko was going to wait up too, but she fell asleep maybe five minutes ago."

Sucy followed her gaze. Their third roommate was lying on top of her blankets in her pajamas, already snoring into her pillow. "That's Akko, all right."

Lotte gave a small giggle. "Sure is." She closed her book and stood up. "Well, I'm going to go to bed, then."

"Mm."

Sucy changed into her own pajamas as Lotte climbed up to her bed. It was…nice, to have roommates who would wait up for her. There weren't that many people in her life who would do something like that.

Lotte turned out the lights. "Good night, Sucy."

"Good night, Lotte," she found herself replying. She laid down in the bed and adjusted her nightcap, and, where no one could see it, let a small smile creep onto her face.

Yes, she was glad she had stayed at Luna Nova.


End file.
